


Friendly Neighborhood Werewolf

by avianbrother



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Blood and Violence, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Werewolf OC - Freeform, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:26:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27662669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avianbrother/pseuds/avianbrother
Summary: Dante took far too long to realize one of his neighbors is a werewolf. Which is kind of par for the course with his life.But hey, at least she likes pizza.
Relationships: Dante (Devil May Cry)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	Friendly Neighborhood Werewolf

Serena never thought she’d get used to city life, but Capulet City wasn’t half bad. Rent was cheap, pollution was low, and there were plenty of takeout places. Even the resident demon “problem” was plus—it gave something to satisfy her feral urges when the moon was full and she couldn’t make it out for a night in the woods. No, it wasn’t bad at all.

Except for her neighbor.

Dante was his name, or so she heard, she’d never talked to him herself in the three years she’d lived there. He lived in the second building to the left from hers, with its bright neon sign that wasn’t lit half the time. He was a devil hunter, that much she knew. She could smell the ick and gunpowder on him when he came crawling in at odd hours. Or sometimes he pulled in on a godawful motorcycle that revved and spat like it hadn’t been worked on in years. Then he’d blare his music morning, noon, and night, just loud enough that her sensitive ears could pick it up. Now and then she’d hear the faintest bit of shouting or scuffling like he was picking a fight with one of the ladies that stopped by or the punk looking kid.

If it were anyone else, she would’ve banged on their door, so they’d knock it the fuck off. But Serena knew better. The guy didn’t smell human, not completely, and just because he fought demons didn’t mean he wouldn’t take a shot at her.

Sometimes she’d catch him on his way out or back from a job, and she’d be closing up shop or taking out the trash. He’d turn his head and his eyes would meet hers for a moment, and she’d wonder if he knew. Could he smell the wolf in her blood? Had he noticed how she’d lock herself in and close the studio for a couple days each month? And as quick as the thought entered her mind, it disappeared with his gaze and the two of them forgot the other existed.

Eventually she stopped wondering. If he hadn’t figured it out by then, he probably never would. Right?

***

Dante sighed and closed his magazine, leaning over to grab the phone on the third ring.

“Devil May Cry,” he answered.

“Dante, we need you to get your ass out here ASAP,” said Nero. There was a muffled sound against the receiver and the distant screeching of tires, followed by a “dammit, Nico!”

“Hold it kid, what’s going on?” Nero rarely needed help since he figured out his devil trigger. Dante stood and grabbed his holster off the coatrack.

“We got a call but whatever this thing is, I don’t think it’s a demon. Something’s off, th-the energy? I don’t know how to explain it. It doesn’t look like one we’ve ever seen and it’s—”

Another screech and a thud as Nero braced himself against the dash. Dante already had his devil sword on his back.

“Fuck…it’s _wrecking_ demon ass.”

“I’ll meet you there.” Nero gave him the address and Dante hung up, striding out and hopping on Cavaliere. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but whatever it was, he and Nero would be more than enough to take it down.

The ride wasn’t long, Cavaliere was raring to go and poured on the speed. Streetlights blurred by and he had to brake hard when he caught up with the van.

Around the van were piles of dead demons that hadn’t yet turned to dust. Gore was spattered on the sides and on Nero, who was poised by Nico’s door, Blue Rose at the ready. They looked up at his approach, though Nico quickly turned her attention back to the action happening further down the street.

“So, where’s the party?” asked Dante. Nero nodded his head in the same direction Nico was staring.

“Check it out.”

A thick cluster of lesser demons was crowded around what Dante could only think to call a beast. It was bigger than a bear and hacking them into mincemeat with teeth and claws. The creature growled and snarled as it slashed, turned, slashed again at anything that came close. Dante watched it move, noting the shape of it, the dark fur that covered head to toe and the thick tail.

Nero must have had the same thought, glancing at him and then back at the beast. “Is it just me or does it look like a—”

“Werewolf?”

Nero scoffed. “Didn’t know those were real.”

Dante shrugged and crossed his arms. “First time for everything. At this point, don’t think anything surprises me anymore.”

“Should we, y’know…” he trailed off, gesturing vaguely at the creature. The crowd of demons around it was growing thin, and once it was finished with those…

A Hell Caina raised its scythe, and the beast snapped to face it, catching the shaft mid-strike. Then it hurled the weapon in Dante and Nero’s direction, and the Hell Caina, too dumb to let go, came flying with it. Ducking in sync, the demon soared over their heads and smeared across the pavement. Nero growled in frustration and Dante huffed, drawing his guns.

“I think it’s time we broke up this little turf war.” He shot up the demons trying to leap onto the beast’s back, red mist spattering on its face. It roared, grabbing another demon and smashing it into the ground. Whatever Dante didn’t take out, it saw fit to finish, shying away from the carnage and spray of bullets Dante let loose. Soon, all that was left was a single Empusa that the beast snatched out of the air. He leisurely approached it, stopping a few meters away while it ripped the head off the demon with its teeth. He whistled lowly.

“Hey there, big fella.” It snapped to look at him, blood and pieces of flesh dribbling from its mouth. “Should’ve saved some for the rest of us,” he quipped, leveling Ivory at its head. Up close, it really did look like a werewolf, big ears and all.

It tilted its head and stared at him, huffing with exertion. Then it started to shrink. The dark fur receded. Bones and joints crackled as everything shifted, slowly becoming more and more human. It closed its eyes as it wobbled on paws that turned into bare feet. A few grunts and groans escaped it, ending in a soft, feminine whine as the no-longer beast looked at him in all her naked glory.

***

Serena stared at him, trying to focus on the Dante’s blurring in her vision to keep from tipping over. Once steady, she turned her head and spat, wiping the blood around her mouth on her arm. Everything was silent.

“So, uh…hi,” she said in a craggy voice. “My name’s Serena…I’m your neighbor.”

Dante wasn’t sure where to look, gaze darting from her blood covered hands to her naked chest, down to her— _back_ up to her chest and then her messy, equally dirty face. He shook his head and looked over his shoulder at Nero, who had turned his head and covered his eyes with his human hand. The bright red of his blush could be seen from outer space. Meanwhile Nico was adjusting her glasses and looking at the not-beast in front of him with a little too much interest.

Serena swallowed thickly, unable to look away from the barrel of the gun still pointed at her. Dante looked at her and holstered his guns, taking a step forward. Her eyes widened and she stumbled back, feet squishing in demon viscera.

“Stay back!” she snarled.

“Whoa, whoa, take it easy,” said Dante, hands out in a placating gesture. Neighbors, she said they were neighbors. He tried to focus on her face, picture her without the guts on her. “You’re that chick with the photo place, right?” he spoke softly, trying not to startle her. “’Moon’ something?”

“M-moonlight Studio.” She stilled, awkwardly shifting on her feet.

A moment passed before the synapses in his brain connected and Dante remembered her current state. He hurriedly removed his coat and held it out to her, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “Here, since your clothes are kinda… y’know.” She blinked owlishly then took it with a muttered thanks.

Dante wasn’t a shy guy. Nope nope nope, not shy at all. He had his nudie mags and he’d come to expect demons having it all hang out. Hell, sometimes he welcomed a bit of T and A. But this was _surprise_ naked, and he wasn’t 100% a perv, thank you very much.

The coat was big on her, forcing her to roll up the sleeves and keep one hand holding it closed. Nero came running to stand beside Dante, still pink in the cheeks.

“You mind telling me what’s going on?” he huffed. Serena flinched, glancing at his gun and devil breaker. Dante frowned, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. She shivered under his touch.

“We, uh…we know each other,” said Dante, not sure how to explain this without making it weird. “She’s my neighbor, runs a photo place a couple doors down from the shop.”

Nero opened his mouth to say something, then caught a glimpse of her mostly nude form, and shut it with an audible click. He jerked his head and Dante huddled beside him. While the pair conversed, Serena slunk away to poke around demon remains in search of something. Dante observed from the sidelines, hands on his hips.

“ _That_ is your neighbor? Sorry but _what the fuck_ , Dante?” said Nero in angry, hushed tones. “You couldn’t have said something a little sooner?”

“I didn’t know!” Dante fired back. “I’ve barely met her. You said so yourself, this didn’t feel like a run-of-the-mill demon. I never noticed anything off about her before.” They both looked at her. Aside from the obvious dishevelment, she seemed normal.

Serena glanced at them, feeling their gazes on her, and waved half-heartedly.

“Hiya,” she mumbled, then returned to her task. Nero started to say something more, but Dante beat him to it.

“I take it this is normal for you?”

She snorted. “Depends. Hulking out into a big snarly wolf thing? Yep. Public indecency? Not really.” She picked up the half-shredded remains of a sneaker and sighed, tossing it over her shoulder. From under the corpse of a Hell Caina, she dug out a grimy plastic bag. She shook it and checked inside, nodding to herself and tucking it under her arm.

She looked tired, Dante thought. There were bags under her eyes, and she moved lethargically, swaying slightly as she stood and faced them.

Awkward tension returned full force, Serena holding the bag close and watching the two of them to see who would make the first move. It was Nero who cracked first, coughing into his fist and nudging Dante with his elbow. “Let’s talk it over in the van,” he suggested.

Without waiting for an answer, he turned and headed for the van. Dante raised his eyebrows in questioning, jerking his thumb at the car. Serena nodded and followed after. Nico smirked at Nero as he passed by and propped the door open for them. They piled in, and the sound of the door clunking shut seemed to release all the tension.

The smell of cigarettes made her nose wrinkle, but Serena wasn’t about to spit on their hospitality. And she kind of dug the taste in décor. She plopped onto a nearby sofa, fishing out the box of cheap cream filled cupcakes from her bag and immediately tearing into a package. Scarfing down one in no time, she paused to swallow as she cracked open the next, only to realize no one had said a word, and they were all watching. She wrapped the coat tighter around her.

“So, what happens now?” she asked softly.

The punk kid—Neil? Nero?—was sat in a cramped seat against a table across from her while Dante was leaning on a banged up jukebox. They had a silent conversation with each other and seemed to decide that Dante would be the one talking.

“We’ll just ask a few questions, figure it out from there,” said Dante. “Everything checks out, we’ll let you be on your way.”

Serena scoffed. “You expect me to believe that? Trust some hunters to keep their word?”

“Good thing for you, we’re not just ‘some hunters.’ We hunt demons. Last I checked, you aren’t a demon.”

Processing his words, she met his gaze, taking in the wrinkles setting in around his eyes and the dusting of stubble on his face. For the first time, she noticed that his eyes were blue. He didn’t seem angry, perhaps a bit cold, but he didn’t…didn’t seem like wanted to hurt her.

She returned to eating. "What do you want to know?”

“What happened with the demons?”

“They jumped me,” she replied, licking the cream off her fingers before remembering the blood still caked on them, face twisting in disappointment. Nero tossed her a crumpled, yet clean, wad of napkins and she nodded in thanks. “Had cravings and went to the store to get more of these bad boys—” she waggled the cardboard box, “when they caught me on my way home.”

Sounded about right. Demons tended to pop out at night and chase after unsuspecting prey, especially young women. As she wiped away the demon viscera from her hands and face, Dante couldn’t help but notice how painfully human she was. That not-quite-demon energy she gave off in her beastie form had fizzled out, undetectable even to his sharp senses. All he could smell on her right now was the gore and a faint hint of sugar. No jagged claws or pointy teeth. No scars, either.

“How long you been a werewolf?”

 _That_ made her pause, eyes narrowing at him. After briefly holding his gaze, she broke away, stuffing her mouth with another snack. “Since I was born,” she said quietly. She thought for a moment. “What about you?”

“What do mean?” He was playing dumb, and the way she glared at him told him she knew he was.

“I can smell it on you, you know.” She looked away and frowned. She fiddled with her food, ripping off bits of spongey cake and rolling it between her fingers. “You’re not some regular demon, but you’re not pure human either. And what you do for a living isn’t exactly a secret when you come in at two in the morning smelling like shit. I ain’t asking you to tell me anything, but don’t fucking treat me like I’m stupid.”

He smiled, almost impressed by her attitude. Even Nero had to bite his lip and suppress a smile. Dante studied her, weighed his options, then said, “I’m a half-breed. Old man was a demon.”

To her credit, Serena was only mildly surprised. “Huh. No kidding?”

“Yep,” he confirmed, popping his lips on the p. If Nero was taken aback by his honesty, he didn’t show it. Nico, on the other hand, was about ready to explode as she rose from the front seat.

“Y’all gonna keep making boring chitchat or are we getting to the good stuff, because I would love to have a Q and A right about now.” Nico crouched by Serena, squinting and leaning in close. “First off, why have I never seen one of you doggies before? Because it is a _crime_ that I’ve never had a chance to use my gnathodynamometer and I wanna know how much force it takes to rip the head off an Empusa like you did.”

“Why do you have dental instruments?” asked Nero, utterly baffled and worried because this was Nico, a diabolic little mastermind.

“For science, _duh_. Better yet, how do _you_ know what it is, nerd?”

“How about we stop asking questions so I can leave,” cut in Serena, more than a little irritated by what her night was turning into. Nico clicked her tongue and shook her head as she returned to her spot at the wheel, grumbling about her research notes.

Dante sighed and leveled Serena with a hard look. “Babe, you’re not going anywhere.”

“Why not?” she snarled, anger rising in her chest.

“’Cause you’re bare naked and I wouldn’t be much of a gentleman if I let a girl walk home in her birthday suit on the first date, now would I?”

She blinked, cocking in her head in confusion. “What? Just like that? No…no silver bullets or anything?”

Dante shrugged and waved her off. “Look, you haven’t killed any humans and I’m not getting paid, so as far as I’m concerned, this isn’t my job. You can keep the coat for tonight, bring it back some other time.” He patted Nero on the shoulder. “Nero and Nico here can drop you off by the shop.”

“Oh…” she trailed off, unsure what to say. Dante adjusted his weapons and stepped to the door.

“I’ll run ahead,” said Dante. “Don’t take too long.”

Nero snorted and made for his spot in the passenger seat. “Whatever you say, old man. Treating us like a damn taxi service,” he muttered under his breath.

As Dante opened the door, a tug on his shirt made him stop. Serena looked up at him, biting her lip as she figured out what she wanted to say. After a few seconds, all she could think to say was, “Thanks, Dante. I’ll see you around.” She gave him a soft smile and he returned it.

“Yeah. See you around.”

His shirt slipped from her grip and she shifted on the couch to get comfy. She allowed her eyes to slip closed, the fatigue from her transformation setting in. It tugged at something in him, some emotion he couldn’t put a name to. He filed that thought away for later after pizza and a few drinks.

He rode Cavaliere back home, the devil arm rumbling in disappointment. Though the whipping air didn’t bother him, he felt bare without his jacket, like he’d lost his skin.

When he arrived, he found himself staring at the unlit sign displayed on the building second to the right from his. He dismounted his bike, then checked down the street for any sign of the van. The studio was dark and empty. Cupping his hands and pressing his face to the glass, he could make out framed pictures lined along the walls, an orderly front desk, backdrops and equipment barely visible in the far side of the room. He stepped away and examined the posters he’d never really noticed before tacked to the front door, advertising professional photo portraits and other services. Printed next to the name was a logo of a wolf howling in front of a crescent moon. Dante shook his head.

“Not very subtle, are you?” He walked to his shop, pausing for a second to gaze at the red neon before heading inside. “Then again, neither am I.”


End file.
